Supports for roof and the like



Feb. 27,1968 A. L. BIRSE 3,370,557

SUPPORTS FOR ROOF AND THE LIKE Filed March 14, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet lFeb. 27, 1968 A. BIRSE SUPPORTS FOR ROOF AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed March 14, 1966 Feb. 27, 1968 A. L. BIRSE SUPPORTS FOR ROOF AND THELIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 14, 1966 United States Patent3,370,557 SUPPORTS FOR ROOF AND THE LIKE Alexander Low Birse,Bonnybridge, Scotland, assignor to John G. Stein & Company Limited,Bonnybridge, Scotland, a British company Filed Mar. 14, 1966, Ser. No.533,993 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Mar. 29, 1965,13,251/ 65 3 Claims. (Cl. 110-99) It is common practice to form the roofand sometimes the side walls of some furnaces such as soaking pits,tunnel kilns, slab furnaces and other heat-treatment furnaces, as wellas flue ducts and similar structures, in monolithic construction, fromplastic or castable refractories which require suspension and support.The suspension may be effected in various ways, one of these comprisinghanging bricks (commonly known as hanger bricks) on steel girders of Ior T section at intervals and ramming or casting the roof or otherstructure around the lower parts of these bricks.

One such brick is shown in position in FIGURES 1 and 2 of theaccompanying drawings, FIGURE 1 being an elevation partly in section andFIGURE 2 a section on the line IIII in FIGURE 1.

Part of one brick according to the invention is shown in FIGURES 3, 4and of the accompanying drawings, FIGURE 3 being a side elevation,FIGURE 4 being an end elevation looking in the direction of the arrowsIV in FIGURE 3, and FIGURE 5 being a section on the line VV in FIGURE 3;and part of another brick is shown in similar FIGURES 6, 7 and 8.

As shown in FIGURES l and 2 a monolithic furnace roof 1 is to besupported from steel girders, one of which is shown at 2. Hanger bricks,one of which is shown at 3, are suspended frirn each girder 2, andexcept for their upper parts are embedded in the roof 1, which isactually forrned around them. The connection between the girder 2 andeach brick 3 consists of a pair of clips 4 and 5 of U-shape. Recesses 6and 7 are formed in the end faces of the brick at a little distancebelow the top so as to leave flanges 8 and 9 above the recesses. Theclips 4 and 5 are of such dimensions that each will fit over the top ofthe brick with its arms extending along opposite side faces and its basein one of the end recesses 6 and 7. As shown, one arm 4 of the clip 4 isin contact with a side face of the brick and the base 4" of this clipbears against the underside of the flange 8. An arm 5' of the clip 5crosses the arm 4' and so is out of contact with the side face of thebrick, while the base 5" of this clip bears against the underside of theflange 9. On the opposite side face the relative position of the otherarms 4" and 5" of the clips 4 and 5 is reversed, the arm 4" beingoutside the arm 5".

Each arm is bent to form a hook. There are thus four hooks, those of theclip 4 being numbered 10 and 10' and engaging one flange of the girder 2and those of the clip 5 being numbered 10" and 10" and engaging theother flange. The action of the clips is thus of a scissors nature, andso long as the weight of the roof is pulling each clip downwards thetendency is for the hook ends to move towards one another.

Now roofs and other structures of the kind described, to which theinvention relates, sometimes lift as the result of thermal effect. Whenthey do, one or more pairs Patented Feb. 27, 1968 of clips areeffectively relieved of load. In consequence the clips may rockdownwards about their bases as axes, that is to say the hook ends of thetwo clips may move apart, and the clips may cease to engage the girder.

According to the invention this disadvantage is avoided by recessing theupper corner of a side face from each end recess to the top of the brickto form an inclined ledge for an arm of the clip that engages in the endrecess in question. Each ledge limits the downward rocking movement ofone clip, and therefore the extent to which the hook ends of the clipcan move away from the girder.

The number and position of the recesses may vary, the minimum being tworecesses, one for an arm of each clip. If there are only two recessesthey are preferably made at diagonally opposite corners of the brick.

It is of course desirable that all the clips should be identical in sizeand shape. Identical clips can be used even if two recesses are not madeat diagonally opposite corners of the brick, since both recesses may bein one side face if one recess is made deeper than the other.

In the preferred construction there are recesses across all four uppercorners, one pair of diagonally opposite recesses being deeper than theother pair, to provide four ledges for the arms of the two clips. Inthis case all the clips may be of the same size and shape, and none willextend outwards beyond either side face if the depth of the deeperrecesses is at least equal to twice the thickness of the arms of theclips.

Referring first to FIGURES 3 to 5, two recesses are made at diagonallyopposite corners of the brick and are shown at 11 and 12, the siderecess 11 running from the end recess 6 and the side recess 12 runningfrom the end recess 7 to provide ledges 13 and 14 respectively. Theangle of inclination of each ledge is less than that of thecorresponding clip, so that some downward rocking movement of the clipcan take place before the arm bears firmly against the ledge.

The dimensions of the clips, which are commonly made of mild orstainless steel rod, are such that each clip will fit over the recessedpart of the top of the brick with slight clearance, and then on one sideface of the brick an arm 4' of the clip lies substantially in the recess11 and can make contact with the ledge 13, while the intersecting arm 5of the other clip 5 lies outside the arm 4' but in contact with it. Onthe opposite side face the arm 'of the clip 5 lies in the recess 12 andthe arm of the clip 4 is outside the arm of the clip 5.

The preferred construction is shown in FIGURES 6 to 8. Here there arerecesses across all four corners, one pair of diagonally oppositerecesses 15 and 16 being deeper than the other pair 17 and 18. The arm4' can bear against the ledge 19 formed by the base of the recess 15 andthe opposite arm of the clip 4 against the ledge formed 'by the base ofthe recess 17. The arm 5 of the other clip lies outside the arm 4' andcan bear against the ledge 20 formed by the base of the recess 18, andthe other arm of this clip can bear against the ledge formed by the baseof the recess 16. It will be seen that two identical clips can be usedand all four arms are given support.

I claim:

1. For use in supporting a monolithic refractory structure, a hangerbrick with a rectangular head presenting side and end faces, said endfaces being formed with recesses to receive the bases of U-shaped clips,the arms of which extend along the side wall and terminate in hooks,

said brick being formed with two further recesses each made in a sideface across an upper corner from each end recess to the top of the brickto form an inclined ledge to support an arm of a clip.

2. A brick according to claim 1 in which there are two recesses atdiagonally opposite corners of the head of the brick.

3. A brick according to claim 1 in which there are recesses across allfour corners, one pair of diagonally opposite recesses being deeper thanthe other pair, to pro- 10 vide four ledges for the arms of the twoclips.

4 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1953 Forsyth 11099 11/19'53Honig 110-99 FOREIGN PATENTS 881,360 11/1961 Great Britain.

CHARLES I. MYHRE, Primary Examiner.

R. A. DUA, Assistant Examiner.

1. FOR USE IN SUPPORTING A MONOLITHIC REFRACTORY STRUCTURE, A HANGERBRICK WITH A RECTANGULAR HEAD PRESENTING SIDE AND END FACES, SAID ENDFACES BEING FORMED WITH RECESSES TO RECEIVE THE BASES OF U-SHAPED CLIPS,THE ARMS OF WHICH EXTEND ALONG THE SIDE WALL AND TERMINATE IN HOOKS,SAID BRICK BEING FORMED WITH TWO FURTHER RECESSES EACH